• Impressive debut on first Moto3 outing
• Tough race conditions in Thailand
• Multiple crashes by leading riders
South African rider Ruche Moodley made headlines all over South African media in recent weeks as he was primed to make his Moto3 debut. The Gqeberha local made his way to South-east Asia last week for the opening round of the 2025 Moto3 season.
Conditions in Thailand were trying as the teen got to grips with the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, a racetrack he’d seen for the very first time on Friday. He had a tough second practice session, experiencing a painful-looking crash on Friday afternoon. Moodley shook off the incident and entered qualifying in a positive frame of mind.
“I was a little sore after the high-side crash, but thankfully I was not injured. I knew there was still plenty to play for over the rest of the weekend,” said Moodley. The teenager would start from 19th position on the grid.
As expected, the Moto3 race start was chaotic. Several riders made aggressive moves on the pit straight after the lights went out for the season-opener. Moodley dropped a few places, but bided his time.
“I knew that I had to be smart about the race and my strategy was not to go crazy from the opening lap.” And it worked.
Moodley chipped away, keeping a cool head as many seasoned campaigners fell by the wayside in the Thai heat. There were scuffles across the field as well as overheating tyres to contend with, both contributed to the retirement of several leading players.
Moodley’s patience and racecraft elevated him to 10th place by the penultimate lap. On the final lap, he defended his position tooth and nail, ultimately finishing in P11. As a result, he scored his first (five) points in the World Championship event. The race was won by Jose Rueda, followed by Alvaro Carpe and Adrian Fernandez.
“The race was very tough physically and mentally. It’s by far the hottest race I’ve ever competed in. I tried really hard to defend into the final corner. I was a bit disappointed to be overtaken because I was really close to a top 10 finish.
“But overall, it was a positive weekend as I gained a lot of experience and confidence. This is just the beginning of a long season. I am happy about how we have started and we will continue growing from here. I am hungry for more,” concluded Moodley.
Published by: Double Apex on behalf of Ruche Moodley
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